Hello everyone!
In this tutorial I will tell you about creating realistic clouds using 3D Max and Afterburn. So, let's start!

1. Open window Particle View (to do this press 6 on your keyboard), create a basic particle system, with next settings: Emit Stop=0, Amount=5 (for the test rendering it would be enough).

2. Select PF Source in viewport, go to Modify panel and change Length, Width and Height to 50, 40 Ð¸ 15 (those parameters change the size of bounding box).In the field Viewport enter 100, it allow us to see all particles in viewport.
Next open window Environment and effects (press 8 to do that), for the Background color pick a dark-blue color, in Atmosphere rollout press Add and select AfterBurn .

3. Now create Target Spot, in General parameters enable cast shadow(shadow type is AB Ray Trace Shadow).Next change the color of light to yellowish to simulate the sunlight and increase the intensity like in the picture below:

4. Open window Environment and effects and in Atmosphere effects rollout select AfterBurn. Press Show in Viewport to see the particles in viewport. Next press Pick Light and select target spot, that was created earlier. Now our cloud is illuminated and cast shadows. To speed up rendering process change Step Size to 1.5 (this parameter control the smoothness of volume effect, for test rendering 1,5 would be enough). Check Self Shadow, now our cloud cast self Shadows. Change Shadow Opacity to 0.8, it add's more realism to the look of clouds. For Ambient color choose grey-blue color.

In Color Parameters rollout we can change the color of our cloud, I use default settings.

(ID: 160632, pid: 0) Peter on Wed, 07 November 2012 3:19pm Thanks for this awesome tutorial, it's great also when u add keystrokes to it coz i'm new to 3ds max and maya 2013,as i wish you complete this work showing us every feature of after burn coz this plugin "rocks !"